Union undergarment.



Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

P. A. LUCKETT. 1

UNION UNDERGARMENT.

APPLICATION man AUG-7. 1915 Patented 001.12, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

3140041101 J54; Lap cheat PHILIP A. LUCKETT, SALISBURY, MARYLAND;

Union UNDERGARMENT.

Application filed August 7, 1915.

T (112 whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, Pnnnr A. LU KETT,

' a citizen of the United States, residing at of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to Salisbury, in the county of VVicomico, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Union Undergarments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description make and use the same.

' -This invention relates to undergarments I of the class commonly known as'union suits,

and has particular application to an undergarment embodying a drop seat and a closed crotch trouser or lower section combined in a unitary structure with a waist or upper section having a novel form of back.

Many of the union undergarments now on i the market, and with which I am acquainted, have incident thereto certain serious disadvantages. For instance in some of these prior garments, the back of the upper or waistsection of the garment is provided with a band or strip of elastic fabric or webv bing. In such garments this back band or elastic webbing is objectionable for a number of reasons. First, in the various movements of the body, such as occur in stretching, stooping, reaching and the like, this band or webbing has a tendencyto bind against or grip the back and thus cause-irritation, discomfort and annoyance, through interference with the free muscular move-' ment of the person. Second, after such garment has been worn and laundered a few times, this band or web loses its life and elasticity, so that it forms'aloose, bulging fold at the back of the garment which is an actual encumbrance, instead of an. advantage. Third, in wearing such an elastic webbed garment, the heat and-perspiration of the body, especially in warm weather, causes this web to stick or adhere to the lower portion of the back of the wearer so that, instead of moving over the back with the outer garments to accommodate itself to the various movements of the body, such elastic web remains stationary and the outer garments have to adjust or move themselves relative to this band with the incidental discomfort and irritation. These disadvantages of the webbed back I obviate by constructing the upper or waist section of my garment of relatively inelastic cloth or fabric, such as nainsook or the like, this waist Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.. Serial No. 44,253.

section. possessing the general appearance and attributes of a tube having-a relatively loose back formed of a single piece of material which is sheared or cut' diagonally across its entire lower end from side to side,

so-that one vertical side of the back piece is longer than the opposite vertical side. By so constructing the back of the waist portion of the garment I avoid the use of gussets, webbing, flares-and vents, and as the lower portion of the back of the waist crosses the back and posterior region of the body at an angle, it will'not draw or ride up as would occur if such back were cut straight across on a substantially horizontal line. This back is so cut that .the short vertical side terminates at the lower end-at about the waist line, with the lower end of the back running diagonally down and across the posterior region of the body to the longer vertical side which terminates at the outside of the adjacent leg at a considerable distance below the waist line, but not far enough to-require lifting or moving of the lower portion of the back when the posterior opening is in. use. -Both the short vertical side and the long vertical side of the'loose one-piece 'or integral back "are felled or'stitched into the garment throughout their entire'length, thus dispensing with flares, gussets, inserts and vents which in addition to increasing the cost of manufacture of the garment, are uncomfortable and tend to cause the lower half of the garment Another disadvantage inherent in some of the. union undergarments now on the market, is that the posterior opening at the back of the garment is merely in the nature of an enlarged, exaggerated, relatively wide slit,

which is cut to extend from near the Waist line and adjacent the center thereof down through the body of the material of the seat of the lower or trouser section and into one leg thereof. This slit is usually covered by a separate flap which is stitched at one of its side edges to the seat of the garment and the separate flap superposed on the seat of the garment tends to cause irritation and discomfort to the wearer, due to the formation of seams at one or both sides of the central vertical line of theseat.

The just-mentioned disadvantage of a restricted, limited posterior opening cut through the seat proper of the garment, and the flap'superposed on the seat, is absent from my union suit, because in my invention I resort to the drop-seat principle of construction, as contra-distinguished from slitting or cutting into the material of the body of the seat and leg or legs.

My invention partakes somewhat of the nature of a divided garment, that is to say, i provide a posterior opening which, at its upper limits extends substantially entirely across the back of the garment, or from side to side, and is then carried down along the outside of one leg from the waistline to a point just above the lower end of the leg. In other words, I do not'take the opening entirely through the leg. Now, this ,relatively large opening, ample for the intended purpose, is intended to be closed by a drop fiap which also forms the seat of the garment, and the material constituting the body portion of this flap or seat is devoid of cuts,

slits or other openings. This flap or seat sectionis permanently united by stitch ng or otherwise along one of its vertical side edges to the adjacent side. portion of the garment, while the other side vertical edge of the seat section is free from the adjacent portion of the garment, so that the opening down the leg results, but this free side edge is adapted to be fastened when in closed position by suitable devices, such as buttons or the like. The top edge orback band por tion of the seat is also free from the body of the garment substantiallyits entire dis tance, or from side to side of the garment,

and when the seat is closed this top portion of the seat is adapted to overlap and overlie the entire width of the lower diagonally cut portion of the back. If desired, the back band or top edge of the seat, immediately adjacent the permanently closed .side of the seat may be tacked to the short side portion of the back to further insure that this short side portion of the back will not rise up and work over the back band of the seat, but this is not absolutely necessary as the back band or top edge of theseat may be'entirely disconnected from theback from side to side of the garment, for, as both the short vertical side and the long vertical side of the back are felled or stitched into the body of the garment throughout their entire length, such back will always be drawn to its proper position.

My invention consists in the improved garment and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in" and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

- In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a back view of the garment and showing the drop seat in its closed position covering the posterior opening and overlapping the lower portion of the back. Fig. 2 is a back view of the garment showing the drop seat unfastened and dropped down. Fig. 3 is a front View of the garment. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the back piece of the upper or waist section of the garment. I

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, it will be seen that my improved garment is made up of five main sections or pieces, the front sections A and B, the waist-back section C, the leg-back and seat section D, and the leg-back and seatsection E. The front sections A and B form both the front of thelegs and the front of the waist of the garment, the usual central longitudinal opening of the garment front being provided at the meeting edges of the two sections A and B, the usual buttons 1 and buttonholes 2 being employed for closing this front opening.

The back U of the garment waist section is shown in detail in Fig. 4, and comprises an integral piece or blank of fabric, cut as at 8 for the neck and as at 4 for the arms, as usual. The lower edge of the back is cut diagonally across its entire width to form the diagonal lower edge 5, the result being that one side of the garment, as shown at 6 is relatively shorter than the opposite side 7. For instance, in a garment made for thirty eight inch chest measurement the short vertical side 6 may have a net measurement of ten and one-half inches, while the opposite or long vertical side? may have anet length measurement of eighteen inches. Thus, when the back piece is embodied in the garment the lower end of the side 6 will ter minate at about the waist line, while the lower end of theside 7 will terminate nearly eight inches below the waist line. The diagonal bottom edge 5 of the back may be hemstitched as at 5.

The back C is stitched at its side edges 6 and 7 to the front sections A and B, as at 6 and 7 and is also stitched to these front sections at the. shoulder sections as at 8.

The rear leg sections D and E are united by stitching at their inner or meeting edges as shown at 9 to close the lower portion of the garment or at the crotch 10' and to form the drop seat flap S. The inner edges 0t. each of the legs are also stitched together as usual as at 11, so that the closed crotch 10 results. At one side, in the present instance the left hand side, the seat flap is stitched to the side of the garment clear to and through its top edge or backband 12, this stitching being shown at 13. The result is that this side of the flap is permanently closed, with the upper portion of such side overlapping the lower portion of the shorter side of the back C, as is indicated at 14:; The opposite, or right-hand side edge of the flap is free from permanent connection with the body of the garment from the waist band 12 down to a point on the right hand leg, the lower end of the opening thus formed in this right leg being shown at 13. As the top edge or back band 12 of the seat flap is disconnected from the back of the garment, substantially throughout its-entire width, or across the garment, and as this flap is detachably connected with the outer side of one of the legs, it will be notedthat a' relatively large posterior opening will be formed which extends substantially entirely across the back and down the outside of one leg, but not entirely through such leg, as

the lower end' of the opening terminates in the outside of the leg above the bottom end of the latter. Buttons 14 and 15, and buttonholes 16 and 17 are employed .to detach-,

ably fasten the drop flap to close the opening, whichis indicated generally at P. The top button 14 is attached to the back G at approximately the waist line, and as the buttonhole 16is formed in the substantially horizontally extending back band 12 of the flap S, it will be seen that when closedthe upper portion of the seat throughout its entirewidth will overlap the diagonally cut lower portion or tail of the back throughout its entire Width or from side to side. If

desired, the back band 12 of the seat flap' may be tacked by short vertical rows of stitching to the back G immediately adjacent the short vertical side 6 of the back, as is shown at 1,8, to assist in holding this short sideof the back in proper position, but this tacking is not necessary, for as the back is felled or stitched into the front of the gar ment throughout the entire length at both sides, the back will be maintained in proper position without such tacking: It is, of course, to be understood that the garment is finished off in any suitable manner by ornamental stitching and the like to suit the individual taste.

By thus combining the drop seat with the mack, which is relatively loose and I its vertical side edges into the garment, i. insurethat when the waist section having an integral diagonally garment is closed on the wearer, the seat at back of the person will not be exposed, but

will be covered entirely across both by the drop seat and by the lower end of the back portion of the waist section made as described. lVith this garment, therefore, the wearer may get in any sitting or reclining position without having the garment bind, while at the same time the crotch can be cut closer, thus doing away with superfluous goods, although allowing gathers or fullness to be run in on eachside of the seat when necessary, as shown at 19. The garment is further self adjusting as to the back, becausethe top button for the seat being-at the longer side of the back will always draw the same down to its original length.

While I have herein shown and described one particular embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to all the precise details of construction herein set forth by way of illustration,

as modification and variation may be made upper portion adapted to overlie the inclined lower edge portion of the back piece from side to side of the garment, one side only of said flap being permanently securedto oneside of the garment to substantially the up per edge ofsaid flap.

2. ,A union garment having a waist section includinga back piece'having its lower edge. inclined throughout its entire. width from side to side from a point adjacent the Waist line at one side to a point'below the waist line at the opposite side, said garment having a posterior opening formed be:

' low the back piece and extending across substantially the entire back of the garment and -down the outside of one leg thereof to a point above the lower end of said leg, and a :drop seat flap adapted to cover said opening and to overlap the lower portion of theback from side to sideof the garment, when closed, one side only of. said flap being permanently secured to'one side of the garment to substantially the upper edge of said flap.

3. A union garment having a waist section including a one-piece back portion which is longer on one side than on the other, the shorter side of the back portion terminating at its lower end at substantially the waist line, while the longer end of the back portion terminates at its lower end be low the waist line, said garment having a posterior opening extending substantially entirely across the garment at approximately the waist line and down the outside of one of the legs of the garment, said leg being permanently closed below the opening, and a drop seat flap adapted for covering the opening, said flap being permanently fastened at one side to the adjacent portions of the garment and overlapping the lower sec- 'tion at the shorter side of the back, the oppoportion of the back portion from side to side, when closed.

In testimony whereof, I affizr my signature, in the presence of two WltIlGSSGS.

PHILIP A. LUGKETT.

Witnesses: I

RICHARD B. CAVANAGH, I. S. CARPENTER} 

